Staff Picks 2018
It can be hard to sum up 365 days in one or two ways but we’re going to try.
Move of the Year: Flossing
Others might disagree but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing kids flossing. If you spent 2018 under rock, I’m not talking about dental care but the 2018 dance craze that went viral.
-- Jennifer Bauer
Most delicious meal
I took a chance on the chef’s special salmon-and-rice dish in June at Zany Graze. It was so good that here I am, still yammering on about it in late December.
-- Julie Breslin
Worst movie seen in 2018
I checked out two versions of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” last year. Both have magical time-warp properties. The original is a witty gem of a book that moves readers swiftly along in typical Roald Dahl style. As the wily title character outsmarts three ruthless farmers, I reached the last page in no time at all. The odd and convoluted 2009 movie adaptation, on the other hand, managed to stretch 88 minutes into an eternity. What a bummer.
-- Julie Breslin
Best movie seen in 2018
I’m not a big fan of the emotional rollercoaster, but I was forced to make an exception for “Inside Out.” This 2015 movie explores how emotion affects interpersonal relationships. That clinical description of the premise is unmoving; but the story -- told almost entirely by the warring factions inside the heroine’s head -- is anything but. The action tracks Riley (on the cusp of adolescence) as she deals with the loss of everything familiar when her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. It’s a fascinating and educational trip for the whole family.
-- Julie Breslin
Worst Year for Huckleberries
For many of us, the wet spring wasn’t enough for our favorite huckleberry patches. Without summer rains, this year’s berries were small and sparse. A couple hours of picking brought us a couple of quarts instead of a couple of gallons -- but that doesn’t include the ones that ended up in our bellies. Good thing we have a few left over from last year.
-- Michelle Schmidt
Best Regionally-based Book: “The Coming”
I would make “The Coming” by David Osborne required reading for everyone who lives in the area if I could. This historically-based fiction re-tells the story of the Nez Perce, beginning with the arrival of Lewis and Clark and ending with the Nez Perce exile in Oklahoma. I don’t know how well the story reflects the views of the Nez Perce people, and there are slow moments along the way, but it put the story together in a seamless narrative. I recognized most of the story’s names and historical events and locations -- pieces you collect by growing up and living here -- so there was a familiarity to the story. And yet, the way it was presented made me feel I like I was hearing it for the first time. Admittedly, it’s a tough read -- I knew the story wouldn’t end well, and I sometimes had to put the book down to distance myself from the emotion of it. But it was the best book I read this year, and I’d love to see it become a movie.
-- Michelle Schmidt
Best Social Media Decision: Marco Polo
After realizing that checking Facebook didn’t make me feel good, I decided to stop checking it on my phone. In breaking the habit, my personal happiness and productivity levels increased, and irritation and discouragement levels decreased. Instead, I spend more time on Marco Polo, a video texting app, where I enjoy actual (video) conversations with my actual friends. I still check Facebook on my computer, but I feel more connected to the people I love than I did before.
-- Michelle Schmidt
Best Health and Beauty Trend: Toothpaste with Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is the new trendy ingredient that’s used in everything from smoothies to beauty products. Because it absorbs toxins, which we’ve known for some time, people now use it in health and beauty products. I tried a charcoal toothpaste by My Magic Mud to see if it could make my teeth look like I don’t drink as much tea as I do. Not only is it way more fun to brush your teeth when your whole mouth turns black, but my teeth are whiter than they’ve ever been -- and I only use the stuff one day a week. I’ve gotta say, I’m always surprised when a trendy thing actually works.
-- Michelle Schmidt
Best Beverage: Ginger Beer
Ginger beer isn’t anything new, but it’s new to me. I tried it for the first time this past summer and subsequently learned how to make my own. It’s sweet -- but not too sweet. It’s got a kick -- but not too much of a kick. And it’s refreshing -- but not too refreshing, if that’s a thing. And based on the number of ginger beer products that appeared on store shelves over the summer, it seems to be growing in popularity. Whether homemade or store-bought, this stuff is good alone or mixed.
-- Michelle Schmidt
Worst Summer Activity: Paddleboarding
Now hear me on this, I’m not against Paddleboarding, by worst summer activity I mean the summer activity I am worst at. I have zero balance so for me, paddleboarding is more like falling-into-the-river-ing. If you enjoy it, great, but this year I’m looking for a summer river activity a little closer to the ground.
-- Kaylee Brewster
Best Purchase: My Dog
This year, I got a dog from the Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter. Best decision ever. Yes she gets hair everywhere and tries to steal my food, but when she wags that tail when I come home, it’s all worth it.
-- Kaylee Brewster
Best/Worst Trying to Save Money Deal: MoviePass
Back when MoviePass first started, it was the best way for me to see all the movies I wanted at a cheap price. But over the summer they put more restrictions on movies, then lifted them, then put more on. That meant I couldn’t see the movies I wanted when I wanted. Then, for nearly two weeks, I couldn’t see any as there were “no showings available.” So I dropped it (that itself took a few days to figure out) because why pay for something that’s useless to me? The joy I felt when I left was the same joy I felt when I got it.
-- Kaylee Brewster
Best Tea: Yorkshire Tea
Okay, so technically, I discovered this tea a few years ago when I was in Scotland, but this year I discovered where I could purchase it locally. A friend bought a box for me as a gift from Rosauers. Best of all, one box contains 100 tea bags. I got it in June and I’m not even halfway done. This tea is a perfect blend of black teas that is both strong and smooth. It’s enough caffeine to keep me awake during the day, but I still get a full night’s sleep.
-- Kaylee Brewster
Films Most Likely to Be Iconic: “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther” for obvious reasons: smashing the box office, creating new standards of representation and as a groundbreaking awards contender, which usually snubs superhero movies. Who knew they could be so good? (I did). Also, another Marvel movie, “Avengers: Infinity War,” will go down in history. I’ve been to many movies in theaters, but at no other movie have I heard as many gasps or exclamations of “What the --?” There is an unending buzz about the film and its coming sequel. Every day I see new posts analyzing the film or theories on how the next movie may go down. It’s like “Jaws” -- in years to come, people will tell their children and grandchildren about when they saw “Avengers: Infinity War.”
-- Kaylee Brewster
Best things I watched in 2018:
“Wait for Your Laugh” – The 2017 documentary covers the career of the multi-talented Rose Marie who started working as Baby Rose Marie, a child star of the 1920s. She later co-starred in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and many of her co-stars in that show are interviewed in this doc about her remarkable and long career, which included a regular stint on “The Hollywood Squares” game show.
“Finding Vivian Maier” – This 2013 Academy Award-nominated documentary details what is known about Maier, a photographer who carried a camera everywhere she went, but whose photos went mostly unknown during her lifetime. She died in 2009 but filmmaker John Maloof purchased a box of her negatives in 2007 and set out to discover what he could about the photographer. Maier worked most of her life as a nanny, and many of the interviews with folks who knew her are surprising.
“The Guest Book” – This TBS TV show is created by Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl” and “Raising Hope” among others) and its second season just finished airing. The anthology series is sort of the same from season one to two, but sort of not. The premise is anchored by guests writing in the memory book often found in rental cabins and homes. It’s quirky and sometimes incredibly raunchy, and familiar characters pop up from time to time, with some characters’ storylines continuing throughout the season. Funny, weird and wonderful, each of the second season episodes end with a fantastic live performance by HoneyHoney.
“Scientology and the Aftermath” – The documentary series on A&E TV is now in its third season, and it’s still fascinating. Ex-Scientologists Leah Remini and Mike Blinder shine a light on the unconventional religion, and sometimes the tears flow when they reveal the levels of harassment they’ve endured since leaving the church. (Related, Remini’s eye-opening 2015 book, “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” is well worth the read.)
-- Jeanne M. DePaul
Best things I listened to in 2018:
“Carruth” – This podcast by the Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler, a reporter who, for more than two decades, has covered the story of Rae Carruth, the former Carolina Panthers wide receiver convicted of conspiracy to murder in the death of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. The seven-part serialized story tells the details behind the crime, the criminals, the victims and the survivors, and includes the compelling, haunting sounds of Adams’ 911 call. The podcast was released in advance of Carruth’s October release from prison after serving nearly 20 years.
“Slow Burn” – Slate’s podcast features Leon Neyfakh as reporter and host. The first season is all about the Richard Nixon-Watergate scandal of the 1970s, while the second season details the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Neyfakh has recently moved on from Slate, but these first two seasons are well done, featuring scores of interviews about these epic historical events. I lived through both events, but learned a lot by listening to them.
“Serial” – Season one of this podcast from the creators of NPR’s “This American Life” basically went viral and blew the Internet’s mind, but the second season was not nearly as compelling. The third season is back in a huge way and may be the best yet, with a microscopic and compelling look by host Sarah Koenig at a criminal justice system gone awry from inside a massive Cleveland courthouse. You may not be able to stop yourself from binge-listening to this one.
“Gladiator” – The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team has produced a podcast detailing how Aaron Hernandez went from being a star tight end on the New England Patriots to convicted murderer. The investigative team found new documents and audio to reveal more about the life of Hernandez. You may know how his story ended (by suicide in his prison cell in 2017), but this podcast details how he got there and how he affected the people left in his wake.
“Dirty John” – The podcast is a serialized true-crime story about manipulative con man John Meehan by Los Angeles Times investigative journalist Christopher Goffard, who wrote the newspaper series and also narrates the podcast. It focuses on Meehan’s rapid courtship of and marriage to a wealthy and successful businesswoman, but also flashes back to his previous relationships and his family, and the details get more stunning with each episode. The podcast builds to an epic crescendo, and a Bravo TV miniseries based on the podcast is airing now.
-- Jeanne M. DePaul
Best return to the past: Postcards
Rediscovered the pleasure of hand-written commiques this year by sending postcards to my adult daughters and other friends living in distant parts of the globe. It’s old-school Twitter, without all the snarky comments.
--Brian Beesley
Best escape from reality: The Travis McGee series
Began rereading and thoroughly enjoying the escapist literary fare in the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. Twenty-one delicious, page-turning morsels in all. It’s all a bit dated now, but why this wasn’t ever successfully adapted into TV or films is beyond me.
--Brian Beesley
Best motivational book
Now, nearly anyone can get behind a nice motivational quote, but an entire book? That takes some commitment. “Girl, wash your face” by Rachel Hollis, an American author, motivational speaker and blogger, is worth taking the plunge for. She reveals things from her personal life that led her to change her entire way of being, coming from a small town, dealing with some extremely traumatizing events at a young age, to being a married mother of four and building a thriving company. Inspiring? I’d say so.
--Dallas Marshall
